Why not grow an Avocado plant on your windowsill?

At Christmas you may have been treated to some delicious exotic fruit to eat such as Avocado, Kiwi, Mango or even Papaya, I think it is fun letting children try new fruits and educational too:

Why not find out more about each fruit.

Where does it come from?

How does it grow?

What does the plant/tree look like?

Does it have lots of seeds or a single stone?

What do they look like?

Can we plant and grow them?

If you have an Avocado why not have a go at growing your own Avocado plant from the stone in the middle of the fruit.

What you need to do

Remove the stone (or pit) from the fruit and wash well to remove the soft green flesh, leave the brown skin intact.

Dry with a paper towel then work out which is the top (where the shoot will grow from) and the bottom (where the roots will grow) of the stone, the slightly pointier end is the top, and the flat end is the bottom.

Take three or four toothpicks and insert them firmly (about 1cm deep) into the stone at a slight downward angle, evenly spaced around its circumference.

Suspend the stone on a glass (or large jam jar) filled with water so that the bottom of the stone is covered to a depth of 1 cm, change the water once or twice a week and top up if needed.

Place the glass on a warm sunny windowsill, be patient germination can take 2-8 weeks, a crack should appear around the stone from which roots will appear at the base and a shoot at the top.

When the shoot is about 15 cm tall pinch out the top set of leaves, this will encourage new growth and a bushy plant, in a few weeks when new leaves and roots have grown it is time to plant it.

Take a plant pot (20-25cm across) and half fill with rich potting compost, gently lower your stone into the pot and carefully fill with compost around the roots, taking care not to damage them, tap the pot to remove any air pockets and gently firm the compost. The upper half of the stone should be above the compost.

Water carefully so that you do not disturb the compost, it needs to be thoroughly moist but not soggy.

Return your Avocado plant to its warm sunny windowsill and give it frequent light waterings as the compost dries out, to make a bushy plant when the shoots have grown 15 cm pinch out the top set of leaves, this will encourage the plant to produce side shoots and more leaves.

Why not also try growing your own Orange Tree from a pip, click here for more details.